The American Dream at Risk: Middle Class Anxiety and the Future of American Politics
This past month, the U.S. experienced possibly the greatest financial upheaval since the Great Depression. As Americans struggle to understand how this crisis impacts their lives, a fierce presidential campaign is underway, with both candidates promising alternative solutions to the economic predicament.
On October 31, against the backdrop of this pivotal election, Jacob S. Hacker, the author of The Great Risk Shift: The New Economic Insecurity and the Decline of the American Dream, will talk about the financial roller coaster many Americans are living on, how it is reshaping American politics, and what can be done to create policies that safeguard economic security in an increasingly uncertain world. He will also address party polarization, and discuss if there is promise in the recent calls for post-partisan politics.
A frequent media commentator and prolific author, Hacker is a professor of political science and the co-director of the Center for Health, Economic, and Family Security at U.C. Berkeley. He is also a fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington D.C.
